Through the NGO Alas Raíces and its director Soledad Mangiavillano, Esquina realized a long-cherished collaboration: the recovery of forms of knowledge that predate any institutionalized notion of national identity, still alive within communities that inhabit this land through different rhythms, logics, and sensibilities.

This dialogue began with Antonia and Anabel Pérez, mother and daughter, who lead a collective of Wichí weavers in Santa Victoria Este, Salta. Chaguar—a sacred textile that structures and narrates the community’s worldview—is woven into blazers, trousers, dresses, and skirts without being translated or diluted, opening the possibility for these symbols and sensibilities to enter everyday life.

Working with this fiber required dismantling our own productive logics and capitalist temporalities, and reframing the practice of design as an act of listening.

Alas Raíces is an NGO dedicated to strengthening family economies and fostering sustainable development within Indigenous communities across Argentina. For years, the organization has worked on the ground alongside women artisans, supporting the recovery and appreciation of traditional techniques such as weaving with chaguar fiber, a plant native to the Gran Chaco region.